While we could pay homage to the computer and its miraculous power, if it weren't for the evolution and development of software in the audio field, computers would be nothing more than glorified calculators. The software available today re-creates the recording studio inside a personal computer. Mixing, editing, and effects can all be achieved seamlessly in a virtual environment, mimicking a real recording studio and its hardware.

Software studios have grown dramatically in the past few years and now make up the largest segment of the home studio market. What makes computers so great? For many users who already own a fast computer, the addition of recording software turns their ordinary home computer into a full-blown music studio. It also takes up little space, which is a big plus. Nowadays, the computer is becoming the central fixture of our life. Why not put our music studio there as well? Software manufacturers have answered the call with outrageous software for music production.

Advantages of Software-Based Systems

There are many good reasons to use a computer to run music software.

First, today's music software is state of the art: It's where the field is headed and where all the cool advancements are showing up. Computers take up little space and can be upgraded slowly over time. Many people feel that editing with a mouse on a screen is the best way to go. Budgetwise, you might do much better with a software studio vs. a hardware studio like a studio-in-a-box. If you're technical in nature, you might find the working style of computer music suits you very well.

Disadvantages of Software-Based Systems

It's not all good news…If you don't already own a suitable computer, the expense of buying software and a new computer could prove to be much more expensive than the hardware alternatives. For anyone who's worked with computers, it's a known fact that computers are prone to crash, catch viruses, and eat files. And let's face it, some people are not tech savvy and just wish to “make music” without worrying about getting a faster hard drive or defragging their disk. What if you want to take your killer studio to a rehearsal and track your band? Going to haul the whole computer? No, not likely. There's also a group of people who swear that digital recordings never sound as good as analog ones. The debate continues on that topic.